Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. DWYER.

GAR COUPLING.

N0. 432,697. Patented July 22, 1890.

Witnesses.

- ms Nuams PETERS co.. FNOYCFUTNOW wAsHmuTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN DVVYER, OF EAST PEMBROKE, NEW YORK.

CAR-COU PLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,697, dated July 22, 1890.

Application filed May 27, 1890. flerial No. 353,286. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN DWYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Pembroke,

in the county of Genesee and State of New' York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce an automatically-acting coupling for railwaycars, capable of being operated and used from either side of a car or from the top of the same, and. of being easily operated and used companying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation showing portions of two cars to which the coupling is attached. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal section in or about line a b, Fig. 1, showing a plan of the coupling and that portion of the mechanism for operating the link from either side of the car, the mechanism for raising and operating the link from the top of the carbeing omitted, except a portion of the chain connected therewith. Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the end of a car and a front view of the coupling and its several parts, the coupling-link being-turned up in a vertical position and secured. Fig. 4 represents a small portion of the top of a car, showing a top View of the pivoted catch for holding the link up or releasing it when operated from the top of the car.

In said drawings, 1 represents a portion of an ordinary freight-ear, 2 the usual drawhead, all of which are madein any well-known way, and as they form no part of my invention alone, in themselves considered, a further description of the car and its usual connecting portions is not required here.

The coupling-link 3 consists of a bent bar having its ends pivoted loosely (so as to fall by its own gravity) by a pin 4 to an upwardlyprojecting piece 5, rigidly secured to or forming a portion of the draw-head 2. At some convenient point near the longitudinal cento the holding-piece 6 at the points 16.

ter of the coupling-link is a holding-piece 6, pivoted thereto by a pin 7, and at ornear the front of the draw-head is a baekwardly-inclined upwardly-projecting holding-piece 8, (shown in Fig. 1 only, it being omitted in Figs. 2 and 3 so as to show the other parts more clearly,) either forming a part of the draw-head or rigidly secured to it. Every car is provided at both ends with one of these coupling-links and their several operating parts, as above described, so that when two cars are coupled together one of the coupling-links only is used, the other being turned up out of the way, substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and secured by a cross-pin 9. The object of this construction is to provide a link always ready for use in case the other fails.

To each end of a car are secured by the usual bolts or screws 9 four bearin gs 10 .and 10two at each side of the car-i n each pair of which is mounted the bars or shafts 11 and 12, (shown in Figs. 2 and 3,) both of which are bent so as to form the arms 13 and 14. To the ends of the arms 13 is secured a chain 15, the opposite ends of which are attae'ihed See Fig. 2.) The arms 14 are the arms by which the device is operated, and are located at or near opposite sides of the car. The bearings 10 are each provided with an offset 17, so that by raising either of the arms 14 up and then drawing it toward the side of the ear (thereby moving the shaft 11 or 12 longitudinally in its bearing) until the arm 13 rests upon the portion 17, when it will. be held in its raised position and thereby hold the link up in the position shownby the dotted lines 18 in Fig. 1, which operation holds it uncoupled from the opposite car, as will be readily seen. It is easily released by pushing the arm 13 back again away from the olfset 17, when it instantly falls to its normal. position. From this construction it will be seen that the bars 11 and 12, with their arms13and 14, are independent of each other, so that either can be operated separately at opposite sides of the car without interfering with the other.

The device for operating the links from the top of the car consists of a vertical bar 19, secured in position, so as to be easily IOC moved up or down, by the caps 20, by which it is secured to the end of the car by bolts or screws 21. It is provided with an outwardlyprojecting arn1'22, over which the upper end of the link passes, and is secured by the pin 9, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The upperpart of the bar 19 is bent forward and then up at or about the point 22 and terminates in an inwardly-bent portion 23. At the top of the car is a pivoted catch 24, adapted to be moved so as to catch under the portion 23 when it. is desiredto hold the bar 19 in its upward position. At the lower end of the bar 19 is a small perforation, to which is secured a chain 25, having its opposite end attached to the holding-piece 6 at the point 26. (Shown in Figs. v 2 and 3.) From this construction it will be seen that by raising the bar 19 up ward the coupling-linkB will also be lifted up, and may be held up in its position (shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1) by fastening it with the catch 24, as before mentioned.

In. the event of both coupling-links being disabled the cars may be coupled together by the common and well-known link by means of the ordinary link-pin 27. (Shown in Fig. 3.)

In couplii'ig cars by this device all that is necessary is to leave the link free, so that it will lay in its lower position, the link on one car being secured in an upward position, as hereinbefore mentioned. The two cars being now run together the end of the free link is raised up by the inclined face of the holdingpiece'S until it passes over the top, when it drops into the position shown in Fig. 1, thus automatically coupling the cars together, from which it may be easily and conveniently re leased in the manner heretofore described.

By this means all danger of accidentto the operatoris avoided, as it is entirely unnecessary to get betweenthe cars at any time to either disconnect or connect the cars, and it may be operated at either side of the car or at the top of .the same conveniently near the brake-wheel 28, so that in case of emergency it will be within easy reach of the brakeman.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a pivoted gravitylink adapted to drop over and connect with a holding-piece on an opposite car in the act of coupling therewith, two independently-actin g arms for operating the link connected with the link by chains and mounted in bearings on the end of the car so as to be capable of a longitudinal or lateral movement therein, an

coupling-link by a chain at the lower end,

and a pivoted catch at the top of the car for engaging with it and holding it when drawn up to raise the link for coupling or uncoupling from the top of a car, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of a pivoted gravity-link adapted to drop over and connect with a holding-piece on an opposite car in the act of coupling therewith, two independently-acting arms for operating the link connected with it by chains and mounted in bearings on the end of the car so as to be capable of a lateral movement therein, an offset in one of the bearings for each arm in which the arm is moved and held in its elevated position, arms for operating the same and thereby raising and lowering the link, a verticallymovable bar mounted in vertical bearings on the front of the car and having a hook portion 23 at the top and connected with the couplingdink bya chain at the lower end, and a pivoted catch at the top of the car for engaging with it and holding it when drawn up to raise the link, whereby two cars maybe coupled together or uncoupled from either side of the car or from the top of the same, substantially as described.

4:. In a car-coupling, the combination,with two cars,of pivoted gravity-links, mechanism, substantially as above described, for operating them, a projecting arm on each car over which a link is thrown when not required for use, a pin for securing the link in such posi-.

tion, aninclined holding-piece on the drawhead of each car adapted to receive and couple with the free link of the opposite car, whereby one link may be reserved for use when the link on the opposite car is disabled, substantially as hereinbefore described and set forth.

JOHN DWYER. Witnesses:

EDWIN 0. Lone, FRED A. LEWIS.

ICO 

